by Toni Tiu
So you’ve decided to build your own brand. Congratulations! A brand is a promise you make to consumers, that gorgeous offering you have for them wrapped up in a pretty bow. A brand evokes emotions. A brand identifies and communicates what you have to offer. You see a bunch of different brands as you walk down a busy neighbourhood street. There are many sari-sari stores, but you may tend to gravitate towards one more than others. What makes one stand out more versus others? Branding. Which one are you more likely to buy your next purchase from? Koolitz Sari-Sari Store or Aling Sarsing’s Sari-Sari Store? A brand can either attract or repel customers depending on how it comes across to its market. How do you make sure you’re building the right brand identity? How do you make sure you stand out from a crowd of brands? Here are some guidelines to help you craft that brand identity.
Who is your target audience? Who are you talking to? Who is your source of business? One can easily define an audience by demographics. “18-44 years old, mothers with young kids, lower-medium socio-eco class.” Will this help you build your brand identity? Sure it can. But you can build a more defined one if you also find out more about their lifestyle. What motivates them? What upsets them? What are their aspirations in life? When and where will you find them more open to being talked to by advertising? What activities appeal to them? Understanding what your target’s motivations and tensions are will help you build a brand that is relevant to those you are talking to.
Who are you up against? How do you stand out from competition? The first step is finding who competition is. What are their strategies? How do they interact with their target market? Competitive brands are those who may eat up your share of the pie. They may or may not talk to the same target market you have, but can still grab business from you. A popular convenience store chain is definitely a rival of Koolitz and Aling Sarsing’s. Understanding what competition is about will keep you on your toes with your brand. This also helps you build a brand identity that is different from theirs.
What does your brand have to offer better than others? Take a look at the brand you want to build. What features does it have? How does it benefit your target? A sari-sari store offers a variety of goods at very reasonable prices. But what makes Koolitz better than Aling Sarsing’s? Could it be the spread of benches right outside the store, so students can sit and relax while they enjoy their freshly purchased bottled soda and chips? At Aling Sarsing’s, could it be her home delivery service? Examine what your brand features are. What makes it a better choice than other brands?
If your brand were a person, what characteristics would he possess? While the end goal of any business is to sell and make a profit, brand-building also involves relationship-building. When your consumer gets to know your brand, they check out not only what’s on your label, how better-priced you are than others, but also if you’re a fit for their lifestyle. How do you make them feel? Do you complement their hip and cool lifestyle? Are you too dated for their taste? Paint a portrait of your brand. What kind of characteristics would you like it to have?
Once you’ve answered the above questions, you can then begin preparing a visual brand identity. A logo is a graphic representation of your brand, e.g. Jollibee bee, Nike swoosh. A wordmark is the words of your company set in a fixed manner, e.g. Coca-cola script. Brand colors are also essential, and these are usually seen in your company logo. This is the first thing your target market will see about your brand. This is why it’s important to also find out what they’re into and what their lifestyles are. Would their first interaction with you make them want to get to know you better? Will their first glance at you make them run the other way? Your logo will trigger a rational and emotional response. Keep your logo simple and easy to associate with your brand.